Journey to Sensible Land
by rese
Summary: “Marry, no, we shouldn’t!” [L.M.A. Little Women] So why not live in sin? [jo,laurie jo,other]
1. Chapter 1

**Journey to Sensible Land**

By rese

Summary: "Marry, - no, we shouldn't!" (L.M.A. Little Women) So why not live in sin?

Disclaimer: Louisa M. Alcott owns Little Women and all those characters. I'm just AUing.

_A/N: I'm not a Christian (if they're the values you get out of LW) and I'll probably never legally marry so I don't actually believe it's a sin to live/have premarital sex with someone. Just so you know and I don't get anger monkeys flying at me._

…

"Look away!" Jo called over her shoulder, turning only when she saw him staring back with his arms crossed. "Oh, Teddy, turn away." He just shot her the biggest, widest grin she could recall, stunning her briefly before she felt the fire of her temper rise. "Turn about this instant!"

"Yes madam!" Laurie returned saucily, spinning so that his back faced her.

Jo decided to watch him as she undressed, unsure that he would keep looking away. Every other moment he'd spent trying to play with her laces, buttons or hair so her trust was wearing a little thin.

"You know, I'm sure you'd change faster if I helped?"

Jo glared at his back, "I'll thank you but no. Keep your mind looking out that window too, young sir." She knew it was a pointless warning for in their short trip she'd learnt more about the mind of men than she had ever cared to know.

"Alright, alright, Jo." said Laurie who couldn't wipe the grin from his face. He was in an inn with Jo, alone and unescorted. Hence the alone. With Jo!

"Oh bless me, that does feel better." Laurie turned, knowing she must have finished and was greeted by the sight of Jo with all her hair down, the brown mane concealing a large portion of the plain frock she wore in place of her traveling clothes. Unable to deny his fingers the pleasure of caressing the locks he leaped over to her side, unabashedly running them through her hair as he talked.

"Well, I've worked it all out with the man downstairs, and I think you'll be pleased with the plan, dear lady."

Jo cleared her throat meaningfully and crossed her arms.

"Fellow." Laurie quickly corrected himself, pulling his hand out of her hair. "I suppose you wouldn't care to hear it?"

Jo raised a brow and watched him as she moved out of his reach, laughing as he comically tried to grab her.

"Not so fast Miss Jo!" Laurie caught her arm, smiling back when he saw her red cheeks and sparkling eyes. "I'm not giving you up so easily after all that."

"Oh no, I shouldn't think so!" Jo chuckled, even when Laurie's look turned sober. "You've done quite enough dear boy, so much that I should never take myself from this spot." Jo stomped her foot and pointed to the ground, her resolve wavering at the instant glimpse of mischief in her tall friends gaze.

"Truly Jo?"

She had the odd urge to swallow back her words as he stepped close.

"Because one might feel obligated to challenge such assuredness." She felt him lower his hand onto her shoulder, the other circling about her waist. She felt rather than saw him around her, her grey peepers too consumed with Laurie's dark orbs and she wished that whatever he was up to it didn't involve him pulling back too quickly. She felt she was going to fall over.

"Might one?" she asked wobbly.

"Oh yes."

Jo had been kissed only two other times before in her life, but this was quite different. Laurie was hot and everywhere to her overloaded senses and she practically clutched his clothes, afraid that her legs would give way. He pulled back and gave a victorious smile at Jo's unfocused look.

"I don't think you'll want to stay right in that spot when there's a lovely… bed" both coloured deeply at the word and all its implications "just over there." Laurie finished lamely, waving his hand in the loose direction which was a few feet from their current position.

Jo made a noise which sounded suspiciously like a scoff and Laurie decided further persuasion was necessary. He bent and Jo watched him in helpless curiosity until she felt his left arm knock her knees forward, sending her backwards as he lifted her clear off the ground.

"You're going to have to eat more, Jo dear. But don't worry, I'm looking after you now."


	2. Chapter 2

Jo felt the hand that lay just under her breast twitch slightly and she briefly wondered what perverse thought was likely running through his head.

"I thought you were dead."

Jo turned her head to see Laurie staring at her intently with his handsome black eyes. He looked so serious and it made her think of another boy she'd known not so long ago.

"Whatever do you mean?"

Laurie used his free arm to push him closer to Jo, the sheets at the bottom of the bed strangling his legs as he moved. "You were so still I thought – well, never mind it was silly."

Jo watched him for a long moment before smiling gently, running a hand through his thick dark hair. His lids immediately began to droop at the soothing, familiar action and he laid his head next to her side, using the arm that lay across her middle to anchor him.

"I love you Jo."

Her hand paused for an instant before it continued its gentle ministration. Laurie had told her that before, in fact numerous times over the past few days, or rather more frequently the past hour and while it did get easier to hear and accept, Jo was still weary of the words.

"I love you Laurie." It _was_ easier.

Laurie smiled into the bed. He could get very used to this.

…

She rolled her eyes at the maroon paint on the wall that had become their bedroom, knowing that for all his grumbling Laurie would never intentionally insult her modesty. Jo had made him face the other wall while she changed, trying to explain to him the difference between getting dressed and making love.

She'd done both within their first night of sharing a room but when Jo actually paused to think about it she obviously hadn't been as ready as her lover was.

"Jo, are you done?"

He turned around without an answer and saw her sitting on the bed with a blank expression on her face. Quietly he moved to sit by her, lowering his head by her shoulder and taking her hand.

"Are you alright?"

Startled out of her thoughts Jo looked at him, smiling when she saw his face peeking over her shoulder. His hand was rubbing hers gently and he had a typical look in his eye, telling her he wanted to do more than just comfort.

"Quite."

"Let's got see about that plan then." Laurie stood, pulling up the green clad Jo and leading her out of the room remarking, "If you stood close enough to the wall I'm sure I'd be reminded of Christmas."

A quick hit to his shoulder settled his _merry_ laughter.


	3. Chapter 3

Jo rocked backwards and forwards on her feet as she studied the paintings around the foyer, Laurie being too occupied with the 'man' he'd mentioned before to amuse her. "One, two, three" she counted the men with mustaches on the wall, sneaking a look over at her lover who she noticed last night, had begun to imitate the figures in the paintings.

"Well, there was no need for him to frown like that." Laurie grumbled, walking over to her. When he had pointed out to the attendant who was accompanying him to the station the man, who had begun to look more and more like a weasel to Laurie, had given the most disgusted look he ever had the displeasure of seeing.

Laurie held his arm out for Jo to take but she was absorbed with a picture of some dark-haired young man.

"Should I be jealous?" Her head whipped around and Laurie grinned innocently, "Shall we, dear Jo?"

He watched Jo shake her head free of whatever thoughts had taken her, relaxing further when smiled back, attaching her arm to his. Laurie was very careful to turn his nose up at the weasel as they left.

…

A hop, skip and jump over many puddles they found themselves in front of a very austere-looking building which proudly sported the title of "Morris, Moore and Sons". Laurie quickly marched on, intending to enter the law firm but was quickly stopped by the tug of Jo backing off in the opposite direction.

"Say, isn't that a lovely park," Jo said, pointing behind her. But Jo wasn't even looking, her worried eyes staring past Laurie's concerned ones at the tall building.

"I'm sure it is… Jo, are you alright?"

She had turned an odd pale colour and Laurie thought she looked ready to drop on her feet. "N-no, I mean, yes. No I mean -" Jo's eyes finally settled on Laurie and she flashed an unconvincing smile at him. "Laurie, must we use this law firm?"

The tall man gave her a quizzical look, moving down the step to take her arms. "Well, no, but it was recommended by that fellow." He frowned as her eyes continued to dart about uncomfortably. "Then again, he wasn't exactly the sort of man you or I would like."

Jo flushed surprisingly when he said 'like' and Laurie wondered just what was going on in her head. She did have a tendency to flit off into imaginings. He looked about too and upon spotting a similar looking he took Jo's hand and started off saying, "here's another! And besides, I never cared for people whose surnames began with 'm'."

Jo just rolled her eyes at that smile, relief washing over her.

…

"It won't take ten minutes, I promise," Laurie bent a bit, kissing her quickly as if reluctant to leave her side. He'd done it well enough before in the motel, but then Jo supposed that this part was more unfamiliar to him. Laurie walked off, a jitter in his stance that she'd come to know so long ago as a sign of nerves and she sighed heavily, leaning against the heavily ornate walls.

He was ready to be married and it made her laugh until she actually stopped and considered what that meant. If Laurie, freedom loving Laurie had clamped his wishes down to fulfill society's expectations Jo wondered if she should too.

So much had happened since America and she wasn't nearly the same girl. It had all been tears and unwanted promises when she left with Aunt March and the clearest thing she could recall, even after those three years was Beth's wet face and Laurie's serious eyes. He had _told_ her, not asked to 'come back, alone but healthy' and all her up and going would be forgiven. But she hadn't and he had anyway.

A conspicuous crash to her right sent Jo out of her musings and she looked over to see what poor soul had made a fool of themselves. The tall, dark figure she spotted unsettled Jo so much she dropped her jaw before having the presence to hide.

"Oh, Mr. Moore!"

"Monsieur! Oh, Monsier, I am _so_ sorry!"

Jo heard the attendants calling to the man around the corner and she shut her eyes, hoping the man hadn't seen her. Her back was against the wall and Jo wished the green didn't contrast so blatantly, for camouflage would certainly have helped. What would her sisters say at this?

Laurie reappeared and waved at her, "Jo, dear! It's settled." She lifted a hand to her face, mortified that he should call out her name. He was quickly by her side, holding her hands and grinning proudly, "It's all organized. If – if you want, of course." Laurie was looking at her with such hope and uncertainty that if Jo had not been so concerned with the knowledge that the man she'd tried so desperately to avoid was around the corner she would have abandoned all norms and kissed him.

As sudden as the earlier crash, the very same unfortunate man walked straight into Laurie, causing Jo to exclaim, "oh heavens!" and the man to profusely apologise before he realized who she was.

"Jo March?"

Laurie looked at Jo, surprised to find her staring hard at the ground, nodding back. "Jo, who is this?"

Red-cheeked and looking like a startled deer, Jo held out a hand, motioning between the men, "Laurie, this is William Moore. William, this is Theodore Laurence." She wished the ground would open up and swallow her.

The two men shook hands, eyeing each other, noticing the similarities in their appearance.

"I've heard all about you, Mr. Laurence. Such a wonder to meet the man in flesh; you seemed so unreal to me before."

"That's odd. I've never heard of you at all. Jo?" Laurie turned to Jo, moving closer than necessary waiting for an answer she wouldn't give him in the firm.

_A/N: I'm really disappointed with this chapter as it seems (at least by the end) very nonjo/laurie like to me and it's so irking! But I can't fix it. Do you think I should continue or scrap and go in an entirely different direction? If so, any ideas where? The title seems so redundant now the plot in my mind has changed. Ps for disclaimer purposes, William Moore is mine._


End file.
